SM Tip - Belt Them in the Car

If you're the typical Boy Scout leader, your kids are probably long past the car-seat stage, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to be aware of safety issues related to kids and cars.

Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new guidelines that could have a direct bearing on how troops transport kids. Two longstanding rules still apply: everyone buckles up and kids under 13 ride solely in the backseat. But the AAP added a new suggestion as well, recommending that kids use belt-positioning booster seats until the vehicle's seatbelts fit properly, which is "typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are between 8 and 12 years of age."

Now, I don't know about your troop, but we have a lot of Scouts running around who are 10 or 11 years old and nowhere near 4' 9".

How likely are you to get your Scouts into booster seats? Not very, perhaps. At the minimum, however, you should make sure shorter Scouts are in seatbelts with height adjustments-and that they're always in the backseat.